SURFACE STABILITY ASSESSMENT (A CASE STUDY OF THE OB-CHUMYSH INTERFLUVE, ALTAI REGION)

Abstract

The paper provides assessment of the surface stability under anthropogenic impact  for the territory of the Ob-Chumysh interfluve. The object of study is located in the southeast of the West Siberian Plain and is characterized by a heavy economic load. Surface stability was determined using GIS technologies with a score-matrix comparison of the results. Areas were compared according to the type of the territory’s functioning (removal/accumulation of lithoflows) and the degree of anthropogenic load. The analysis was carried out on a scale of 1: 500,000. Areas with five degrees of stability have been distinguished: from very low to very high. When identifying areas, it is proposed to use the following characteristics: ‘geomorphological element,’ determined by the prevailing angle of inclination of the surface and the composition of the constituent deposits, ‘type of functioning of the 3rd-order basins in terms of removal/accumulation of lithoflows,’ ‘morphological type of facets resting on the 4th–6th-order channels,’ and the indicator of ‘gully erosion risk.’ The degree of anthropogenic load (4 degrees: very low, low, medium, high) was determined by the Kochurov method. For this, the land use map was analyzed. The map is based on the published Land Fund Map of the Altai Territory and satellite images of 2020–2021 available in the Google Earth program. The results of the study can serve as a basis for optimizing nature management in the south of Western Siberia. The proposed methodology for assessing erosion-dissected territories taking into account their polystructural organization additionally reveals the possibilities of the geoecological approach.